Bible Journaling: Book of Micah

In this book about the prophet Micah we find the contrast between judgement and hope. A helpful way for us to understand this is to compare it to our emotions - if we suppress our sadness, hopelessness, and frustrations we will find that we also experience less joy, freedom and happiness. There is a depth to emotions when we experience both sides of the coin instead of throwing the whole coin away. The reality of the severe judgement in the book of Micah helps us to enjoy the amazing hope it points to. 

For a broader view of this book of the Bible, we encourage you to watch this video:

Bible journaling tip: 

In the Bible, there are many characters. It can be helpful to draw parallels between Bible characters and people we know or have known - Who is like David? Who has a similar story, and similar personality traits? He is a great communicator and a natural leader. While we need to be careful to not replace the actual Bible with a false faith in personality tests, these can be a helpful tool for us to see the Bible come alive in new ways. You can journal about a character in this way, writing down their character traits and their probable MBTI or Enneagram personality type.

LOOK UP (information): encounter God through the Scripture 

Author:

The name Micah means ‘Who is a God like you?’. Can you find these words in your Bible in this book - it is there a few times. Mark it in a bright color and write next to it “the meaning of Micah” so that you can remember this when you read it again. Bible Journaling is all about building up a memory bank of what we’ve read before, and how God has encountered us through a verse or book at an earlier time in our path of faith. This becomes our testimony - so it’s important to write it down so that we don’t forget.

Audience:

Micah was sharing this prophecy in his hometown, a place called Moresheth-gath, and he was speaking to the Israelite people who had gone astray from the plans that God had for them. Do you know that the Bible says it is the hardest for a prophet to be taken seriously in their hometown? Do you experience that it’s harder to live out your faith when you return to the place or people who knew you as a child? 

History:

In the book of Micah we swing back and forth between judgement and hope. This is a theme that is always present in Old Testament prophecy. Why do you think this is? Can the one exist without the other? What do you hear preached in church today - do you still hear both sides, or is the preaching focused on how God wants you to prosper only? How did Jesus preach?

Genre:

Micah was a prophet, which makes the genre of this book prophecy. It is still part of the category of Minor Prophets. Micah saw the future very clearly and he prophesied about a lot of things that came true. See if you can find the places where he prophecies about the Babylonian exile, the destruction of Jerusalem, the fall of Samaria, and the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.

LOOK IN (revelation): contemplate / reflect on our own lives

Key verse:

Micah 6:8 NIV

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Inspiration:

What is an example of each of these things in your life? How can you act justly at work, with your finances, in your marriage or in how you parent your children? What would the life of someone who loves faithfulness look like? How do we walk humbly with God - is that different from approaching Him with confidence and boldness like how the Bible also instructs us to be with Him?

LOOK OUT (transformation): respond with creative worship action  

Drawing prompt:

In Micah 4, we read about the Kingdom of God coming to earth - yes, heaven! Did you know that God’s kingdom is described throughout the whole Bible and not just in the book of Revelation? What did Jesus say about the kingdom?

Draw or paint the kingdom and God’s rule as it is described in these verses. 

• The mountain of the Lord’s house
• Many nations will stream to it
• Each person living in peace

Bible Journey with JournalOwl:

Here are some questions / prompts provided by the JournalOwl community. 

• What happened to the ruler of Israel in verse one of this book? (Micah 5:1)
• What were the ruler’s origins, according to verse two of this book? (Micah 5:2)
• What was the work of Israel’s ruler in verses three through fifteen? (Micah 5:3-15)

Follow this link to dive into this book with an online Bible Study group.

Writing prompt:

There are a lot of references throughout the book of Micah that are actually pointing to other stories in the Bible. The Bible is one big story between God and His people - we can think about it like watching a show on the television or Netflix. If you missed the first season, you will be a little confused by what happens in the rest of the story. The same counts for the Bible. 

For today’s writing prompt we will discover three places in the book of Micah where he actually refers to other Old Testament stories or metaphors in his writing. After reading each part, write a short paragraph explaining the similarities and differences.

1. Read what happens at Mount Sinai in Exodus 19-20, and then see how this is similar to how Micah describes God’s presence in Micah 1:3-4. 

2. Read 1 Kings 21 about the story of Naboth, and see how this relates to the example made in Micah 2:2. 

3. Read Joel 3:10 and see how Micah says the opposite will be true in heaven in Micah 4:3. 

Prayer:

God, I want to thank you for the book of Micah. Thank You for how intricately and beautifully all of the Bible is woven together. Help me to see more of this weave into my daily life today as well. Let my response to this text be worship unto you!